The present invention is directed to a visual guard for a dock cleat that does not interfere with its use, allowing a rope to be attached either above or below the guard.
Docks are equipped with cleats to permit boats to be tied off by securing a rope thereto. The cleat, whether or not it has a rope attached, is a danger to a pedestrian walking along the dock. In addition to the physical harm to the walker's toe or foot, the cleat can cause the pedestrian to lose her/his balance and possibly fall in the water.
Several attempts have been made to try to solve this problem. For example, Silvia (U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,500), Kress (U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,844), and Havnaer, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,531) provide cleat covers. Each of these patents provides an elastomeric cover whose purpose is to prevent physical contact with the dock cleat. They each provide some means to accommodate a rope which has been attached to the cleat. The problem is, that should a person desire to tie/untie a boat to/from the cleat, it is necessary to remove the cover. The cleat cover can then become windblown, forgotten, or otherwise misplaced rather than replaced and the result is the dock cleat continues to be a potential threat to a person walking on the dock. Further, these designs are large since they cover the entire cleat and are comparatively complicated to manufacture with a resultant impact on cost.
The present invention provides an elegantly simple device to provide, primarily, visual protection to a passerby. The cleat guard of the present invention comprises an oblong, flat piece of brightly colored, stretchable elastomeric material that has a pair of openings spaced apart by a distance at least 2" less than the outer reach of the arms of the cleat upon which the guard is to be used. The elastomeric material is preferably an iridescent orange that visually calls attention to the presence of the dock cleat. In addition, phosphorescent chemicals are preferably blended into the guard material enabling it to be seen at night. The visual guard of the present invention is designed to allow use of the cleat with out the need to remove it, i.e., a rope may be attached to the cleat either over or under the cleat guard without compromising the function of the guard nor the cleat. In this manner, the guard continues to function without risking loss or misplacement resulting from removal nor threatening passersby with an unguarded cleat. Since the cleat guard is elastomeric it will afford some resistance to physical contact but, since a major portion of the cleat remains exposed to permit its use, the primary protection provided by the guard of the present invention is to a visual warning.
Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification.